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Luktupfah (pronounced: look-tap-far) is a purpose built training camp in Bangkok offering students of any ability the chance to train in several fighting styles including Muay Thai, Muay Chaiya and Krabi Krabong. The Thai-English owned camp is open for single sessions (400 baht) and also has a 13 room guesthouse on-site for students who want a more immersive experience (1,000 baht with two training sessions and accommodation). There are several elements that make Luktupfah a great place to learn Muay Thai in Bangkok including the setting, the staff and the facilities.

The gym at Luktupfah is surrounded by fields and yet is only 15 minutes from Sukhumvit Road and On Nut BTS Station. While there are several other Muay Thai gyms more centrally-located, it is hard to find such a peaceful setting in the city. It is this mix of seclusion and convenience that makes it the perfect retreat for larger groups, who want to concentrate on their training while in camp but still be close to the temples and attractions in Bangkok. Since renovating parts of the training camp in mid-2012, Luktupfah have held camps for the Lebanese Special Forces, as well as the Vietnamese under-18s boxing team.

The usual daily program starts with a morning run at 06:00. After that it is breakfast, before some varied fitness training, including the tried-and-tested method of tire pulling for that real ‘Eye of the Tiger’ experience. For guests staying onsite there are usually two training sessions a day: fitness in the morning, from 08:00, and technique in the afternoon from 16:00. The afternoon session is a mixture of bag and pad work, with sparring in one of their two rings. Owing to its secluded location, there is little of interest near the camp which could make the time in between sessions quite boring, but the trainers and staff at Luktupfah are a friendly and fun-loving group and show typical Thai hospitality to ensure there’s always someone to talk to and pass the time.

The head trainer at the gym is Chinawut Sirisompan (also known as Grand Master Woody), a true pioneer in the world of Muay Thai – and Thai martial arts – with an international reputation. In the 1970s he was one of the first professionals to start teaching Muay Thai in England and around Europe. Since then he has founded several organisations including the Amateur Muay Thai World Championships which takes place in Bangkok every year with competitors coming from all around the world. On top of Master Woody’s sizable Muay Thai achievements, he is also President of the Muay Boran Federation (the study of ancient fighting and a precursor to modern Muay Thai).

With all his commitments, Master Woody usually leaves the day-to-day training to several experienced instructors who are present at every training session and have the experience of literally hundreds of fights between them. One of the trainers, Noy, has had over 160 fights and has won titles at two different weight categories. The training staff at Luktupfah all have a working knowledge of English but they also encourage students to learn some basic Thai vocabulary and simple instructions like ‘kick’, ‘block’, and ‘kick harder’.

For aspiring Muay Thai boxers, Master Woody organises all of the fights that take place at MBK Fight Night every Wednesday night in front of MBK shopping mall in downtown Bangkok. If fighters are interested in getting some experience in the ring, these MBK fights are usually a good place to start. If you are interested in taking part in MBK Fight Night, contact the gym so they can match fighters according to weight and experience. Luktupfah has both male and female fighters competing throughout Asia so their training methods clearly work… all that’s missing is your blood, sweat and tears.

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